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Tag Archives: Protection against Hearing Loss

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

FoodFacts.com has been following recent research that’s pointed out the health benefits of red wine. In moderation, red wine and certain foods which contain a substance called resveratrol seem to offer various protections for our overall health.

Today we read some more news coming out of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan offering more information on resveratrol’s possible connection to protecting the body from hearing loss and cognitive decline.

Researchers conducted a laboratory experiment on rats. They wanted to determine whether the rodents would experience the effects of noise-induced hearing loss if they consumer resveratrol prior to extended periods of listening to loud noises. Specifically, the study focused on how resveratrol influences bioinflammation. That’s the body’s response to injuries. It’s also suspected of being the cause of a variety of different health problems, like Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and aging – as well as hearing loss. Resveratrol seems to have a protective effect on the inflammatory process.

The study was designed to measure the effect of a substance called cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a protein that is important in the inflammatory process in the body. What they discovered is that COX-2 increases after a certain amount of overexposure to excessive noise. Additionally, it was found that resveratrol had a significant effect on the inhibition of that increase. The rats who had consumed the resveratrol had less evidence of noise-induced hearing loss.

Almost 20% of the U.S. population has some hearing loss. As they age, that loss becomes progressively worse. Increasingly, our military suffers from noise-induced hearing difficulties. More than 12% of the soldiers returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan show significant hearing problems upon their arrival home.

Resveratrol occurs naturally in red grapes. It is found in its largest concentrations in red wine. It is also present in white wine and white grapes, but is not has heavily concentrated. It’s also worth noting that blueberries, peanuts and dark chocolate also contain resveratrol.

It’s well known that inflammation is a cause of and has influence on a variety of health conditions. FoodFacts.com is encouraged by the recent research that’s focusing on how resveratrol that naturally occurs in real food can influence inflammation in the body. Red wine, in moderation, seems to have positive health effects – as do the many other food choices that contain this powerful substance.